The First day of School

All of three of my kids started school today. This is the first year (of only two years) that they will all be at the same school.

Although I was happy to drop them all off and I am thrilled with the teachers they got and the friends in their classes, I was also a little bit sad heartbroken to take my baby to kindergarten for the first time. He was thrilled, of course.

After I came home (alone... how sad), I got to thinking "What can I do with all these vegetables?"

Of course that is what I was thinking. If I'm awake, there is a good chance that is what I am thinking.

More specifically, I wondered "What can I do with all these vegetables to make a dinner that the kids will like and will be a little bit celebratory for the first day of school?"

After hemming and hawing and thinking of things like green bean puree mixed into veggie lasagna or diced summer squash hidden in mashed potatoes, I came up with the perfect idea:

Make a really rich, peanut-buttery, chocolatey snack for after school, and then ignore the veggies and go out to dinner!

Once I had that moment of inspiration, things kicked into high gear around here. I whistled while I worked, and in no time flat I had these babies chilling in the fridge, waiting for a newly minted kindergartner, second-grader, and fifth-grader to come home and devour them.

Even though this has absolutely zero grams of vegetable in them, I would feel horrible if i didn't give you the recipe for this heaven-on-a-plate.

Four Ingredient Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars
(I got this amazing and simple recipe from Souffle Bombay.)

1 pound white chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Line a 9x9 pan with wax paper or parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the edges.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips for a minute. Stir until they are melted and smooth. Mix in the peanut butter and stir until smooth. Pour it into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to let it set.

In a saucepan, melt the chocolat chips and cream, stirring constantly until it is smooth and blended. Pour over the top of the peanut butter mixture. Chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or overnight).

Use the paper lining to lift it from the pan, and cut into small squares (they are super rich, so a little is all you need!)